govern

The other day I stood in a line of about fifty people waiting for an opportunity to cast my vote. The line moved rather slowly, and by the time I got to the voting machine, there were another fifty people behind me. I thought it was pretty cool that I could stand in line with people of all different walks of life, of a different race and culture than myself, and express my opinion via the vote as to who should be elected to office.

I realize there are a lot of dynamics in the political arena I am unaware of. And I realize that just casting a vote doesn’t guarantee a particular person will get elected. My trust is not placed completely in the person I am voting for—I realize their human frailty. What I do trust in is the reality that no one gets into political office apart from God’s gracious permission. I cling to the Word which says, “… there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

This is hard to get my mind around sometimes though. We elect people into office in this country—or at least we go through the motions of an election to put people into power. If we are responsible for putting someone into office, then why do Christians say God has established someone in a position of authority over us? What if they are corrupt or inept? Is it possible that sometimes God allows us to choose to elect someone who may not be honest and trustworthy or a good fit for the position? Apparently so.

A quick look back into history tells us that we as human beings have not been very good at choosing leaders for ourselves. I am reminded at this particular moment of how the nation of Germany began to move Hitler into power, thinking he was going to make their nation great again and save them from their poverty and help them rebuild. No doubt, there was some good at the beginning, but ultimately the power Hitler took to himself destroyed nations and killed people in a catastrophic way. And it took a world war and the loss of millions of lives to end it.

Going farther back, I am reminded of what is written in the book of Daniel. Daniel did something which is not easy to do—living as a God-fearing man in service to a pagan tyrant, a king who simply spoke the word and whatever he said became law. Daniel’s life is a good example of how to live in a godless society and still serve God, being faithful to the Word of God and prayer in spite of the restrictions in one’s work and everyday life.

Daniel was always taking risks you and I would find very difficult to take. He started out his service at the palace by refusing to eat the specialty foods and wines offered him and insisting on eating only simple foods and drinking water. This request he made could have caused him to simply be executed, but God gave him grace and favor.

The grace and favor of God seemed to cover every part of Daniel’s experience in Babylon. But what stands out most in my mind today considering our current political environment and the concerns people have expressed about the leadership of our country, both local and federal, is the story about Nebuchanezzar’s dream. God speaks to us in dreams often, yet we don’t usually in this society pay attention to what God is trying to tell us through our dreams.

Back then, there was an attentiveness to such things and the ones who normally attended to them were the wise men, the ones who were soothsayers, magicians, astrologers and conjurers. Nebuchanezzar had scores of them around to help him with his dreams, but one morning he woke up very disturbed by a dream, and none of these clever men were able to tell him what his dream meant. I’ve often wondered whether they were just afraid to tell him what the dream meant, because he might have gotten mad and killed them all (he had a habit of doing that).

In any case, he finally got around to telling Daniel about the dream. Daniel, who the king called Belteshazzar, was the chief of the magicians—interesting that he rose that far—and the king recognized in him “a spirit of the holy gods.” Nebuchadnezzar may have been as far from God as a person could get, and yet he was able to recognize the presence of God in Daniel in all he said and did. This says a lot about what kind of person Daniel was and how he lived his life.

Daniel hesitated at first to tell the king what his dream meant but the king insisted that he do so. Finally, Daniel explained that the dream was a message from God telling the king if he didn’t humble himself and give God the glory, and repent of his wickedness and tend to the poor and needy in his kingdom, God would see that he would lose his sanity and wander about as an insane beast for seven years, until he recognized God as Lord of his kingdom. It was a miracle the king didn’t assassinate Daniel on the spot.

There are historical records, I’ve been told, of a seven-year silence in the reign of Nebuchanezzar. The biblical record says about a year after his dream, he was arrogantly boasting about his position and power when an angel informed him the dream was now becoming a reality. Isn’t it interesting that today our Bible includes a story written by this king, telling us of what happens to a ruler when they presume to believe they are the only supreme authority in this world? He lost his mind temporarily for seven years, and then God restored the kingdom to him. After that, he was a little more respectful of God, though I doubt very much he ever stopped worshiping idols.

Whatever may happen in the political arena we can know God is ultimately in charge. Our voting and working as politicians and public servants need to be seen as our participation in what God is doing in this world. God is and always will be the One who is Lord of all, but he includes us in what he does as our sovereign Lord.

God allows people to hold power in this world, and he holds them accountable for everything they say and do, especially when it creates suffering and hardship for those who are powerless and needy. The purpose of being given responsibility and authority over others is not so we can become self-indulgent, self-important, and arrogant, but so we can help and serve others, humbling ourselves to make other people’s lives better and to enable them to know, love and serve God and one another in the true freedom which is ours in Christ.

Political power and authority are transient—they cannot be counted on. Some people hold office for decades in some countries, not because they are good leaders, but because they force their will on others. God’s purpose is not for us to force our will on others, but to enable others to follow God’s will, and to live freely in loving respect for one another. We have been given great freedom in this country to have a change after a few years to another leader. We should be grateful, and participate in the voting process as much as we can.

The book of Daniel tells us that one day God will establish a divine kingdom that will grow and fill the whole world, ultimately bringing low every other human government. This government was established in Jesus Christ in his first coming, and is at work today in the world by the Holy Spirit within the universal Church of believers. As we follow Christ and bravely live out and share the truth of God’s love in this world, we participate in and live in God’s kingdom, and enable others to experience its benefits within our world even today. May we be heavenly kingdom minded and Christ centered as we live, work, and serve in this earthly world today.

We, as believers in Christ, need to obey the apostolic admonition to pray for our leaders and for those who carry political power. Pray that we may continue to live quiet and peaceful lives as believers, and that we may be free to share the good news with our neighbors, friends, and families. Pray also that God will grant us as believers grace and favor with all those in authority, so that we can continue Christ’s mission in our community and in the nation as a whole.

If you, as Daniel did, have the gift of political leadership, then place that gift at Jesus’ feet and serve where he calls you to serve. Do the work of Christ fearlessly, trusting God will grant you grace and favor as you need it. We need leaders who are not afraid to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before your God.” We need leaders who are willing to take the risks necessary to bring about change. It is a tough political arena right now, but what we need in that arena are spiritual warriors who are willing to take the hits for being honest, humble, and compassionate, and who are submissive to the will and purposes of our Lord Jesus Christ and his heavenly Abba. May the Spirit do a mighty work in this nation and bring many to humble service so we can see some real change that lasts.

Dear Abba, it is a blessing that you have made your Son Jesus Christ Lord of all. We are thankful you are still in charge, and that even when we fail to make good choices about our leaders, you still are at work in the midst of our failures. We ask you for godly men and women to lead us in this country who are equipped for servant leadership and who are filled with the Spirit. Lord, give our leaders wisdom, compassion, and humility—a spirit of service toward those they are responsible for. Grant us courage to confront and challenge our leaders when necessary, and the grace to respect and follow them as they follow you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

“…this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.” Daniel 4:24-27 NASB

What a question! But what if a person does not believe there is a God and believes it’s all up to us as humans to save ourselves? What if we do have to rescue ourselves from this mess we’ve created and there is no help to be expected from any other place?

I suppose too, if a person did perhaps believe there was a God, but believed this God was indifferent or condemning, we would still be in a very difficult position. After all, it has been our choices as humans which have brought us to the place we are facing ecological disaster and economic, immigration, racial, cultural issues—you name it, we are facing it, and it’s due to our decision to do things the way we see fit.

But it is interesting how people have responded during this election season to the question of who should lead our country. It seems on the one hand many people were happy to give the candidates the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time their supporters are expecting them to solve all the issues which face the American people. But can any human being actually do that?

Others are adamant we are just getting what we deserve as Americans because of our decadence, hedonism and greed. So they are assuming God is executing his judgment on our nation because of our sinfulness. But is that really the way God works? What kind God would act like that?

I was reading an article this morning which explained all the changes the president-elect promised to make once he was elected. In the article, it explained how difficult it would be to do any of these things due to the checks and balances in our government, the entrenched bureaucracy and not to mention the immense baggage created by all the leaders before him. No matter which person would have been elected, he or she would have faced this same problem, and would have struggled to bring about lasting change.

The thing is, all any human leader can hope to do is to temporarily alter the physical circumstances of the people in the nation he or she is leading. Bringing about real change requires so much more than just electing a human being to an office in a human government. Giving someone the position, and I suppose even the power, to lead and govern others does not guarantee all of the problems people are facing will be solved.

What is missing from this whole discussion, I believe, is some true introspection about the human heart and mind. Caught in our own humanity, we are blind to the spiritual realities. The best way to bring about change in a nation like ours is to begin with an internal change within ourselves. We need to come to the place in which we realize we are powerless to change and heal what needs to be changed and healed. We need to acknowledge the reality we are broken humans who cannot properly and effectively govern ourselves, much less others.

As long as we seek to be self-sustaining and self-governing, we end up in the same place. Our best efforts to govern ourselves and to discipline our human flesh keep bringing us to the place we are dependent or co-dependent when we seek to be independent. This is because we are missing the point of the whole process which is to live interdependently with God and each other in a relationship of love and grace. We need to understand we are only who we are because there is One Who is above and beyond us and Who has included us in his life and love.

It’s not about creating more rules or getting a bigger police group to enforce those rules. It’s not about punishing people whose race, religion, culture, life choices and life styles differ from our assumptions of what is good and what is evil. It’s about an internal transformation which happened over 2000 years ago in spite of us—a heart transplant given to every human being. Will we live in the truth of that new heart which was given us—the true spiritual reality of our identity as children who are persons in the divine Persons?

The real question is how can we? And that is a really good question—because we cannot. We need to realize we are the humans here, not the God. We need our Messiah to come even now. We need rescued. We need saved. But how? If Jesus isn’t going to return tomorrow, how are we able to go forward into an uncertain and maybe even dangerous future?

See, the thing is, we live as though we and God are separate. We think and act as though Jesus is off somewhere and we need him to come here to fix things. But that is not the case. It is my personal testimony, and the testimony of many others, that God is present here and now in you and in me, in us and among us by his Holy Spirit. He is at work in every situation, and acutely aware of every fear, every bit of guilt and shame which plagues us. Jesus is present, real and near to us—speaking to us his words of hope, encouragement and guidance to our hearts and minds.

We see people interceding for the oppressed and the needy, providing for the hungry, and healing the sick—God is at work in this world. He doesn’t always work the way we think he should work—after all, his perspective is eternal not temporal. But he is busy tending the garden, pulling weeds, tying up vines and trimming off branches, and is working in and through human beings in the process.

Yes, there is a lot more work to be done—so let’s get in the dance and start dancing! As we respond in faith to God’s Word to us in Christ and the inner promptings of the Spirit, we will find our world and ourselves being healed and transformed. We will begin to have a vision of life beyond this life, being able to accept the reality this world is passing away and our true life is waiting for us beyond the grave.

It is our response to the leadership of the Spirit which is the issue here rather than our need to find the perfect president for our country. Are we willing to trust God to do what we as humans cannot and have not done to heal our land and to heal us as human beings? Perhaps we cannot—but that’s okay. Because it is not our faith which saves us, it is the faith of the Faithful One Who did save us, Who is working to save us right now, and Who will save us in the future. He will finish what he has begun in us—growing us up into the fullness of our Christlikeness, the image of God we were created to reflect, as we respond to him with humility and love in gratitude.

Lord, we acknowledge we cannot save ourselves, we cannot keep ourselves safe, we cannot govern ourselves as we ought. We hurt and disrespect, abuse and misuse, ourselves, our earth and each other. Forgive us, Lord, and grant we may live according to the truth of our being and begin to reflect your image as we ought, through Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. the Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous; the Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” Ps 146:1–10 NASB